To me running should be fun, but when it comes to races I get my race face on and am very serious. Despite this philosophy I decided to try a true fun run, which also happened to be a color run.

The race was held at a local wildlife center. The course was a trail that went through the woods. We were told before the race that wild boar, deer, and other wildlife lived in the woods along the trail. The course surface was mostly grass but had branches and exposed plant roots that presented tripping hazards (on two separate occasions I stumbled but did not fall). There were also parts of the course that were mostly loose sand, which made this similar to running along the beach. This course reminded me of my college days of cross-country running.

I guess because this was a fun run, the race director’s approach to the race was very casual. The race started about 30 minutes after the posted start time. There was not a real start or finish line and no timing equipment. We just lined up near the start of the trail and after a few minutes of discussion about the course by the race director, including a suggestion to walk some parts of the course, he just said, “Have at it.” The finish line was at the end of the trail, where a group of people were gathered.

I started near the front of the crowd and stayed there for the entire race. I passed a few other runners and one or two passed me. The posted distance was 4K, but I have no confidence that this distance was accurate. My finish time (according to my trusty Timex) indicated a longer distance.

As I noted, this was also a color run. There were people stationed along the course that threw powder of various colors at the runners as they passed by. Some threw the powder directly at your chest while others threw the powder in the air and you ran though a cloud of color. I elected to wear the race t-shirt instead of my own shirt. While the race advertised that the colors would wash out, I still worried that it might stain my shirt. In fact, after washing the race shirt it still has some of the color. (Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of myself after the race to show the colors.)

While I do not regret entering this event, I am fairly certain I will not be returning next year. At the same time I am glad that I did this just to have the experience. I think that fun runs are probably not for me, but I might consider another color run under a different race setting – perhaps with one of my daughters or granddaughters to share in the fun (hint, hint).

Do you want my dad’s two cents on your running question? Contact him at Dad [at] MommyRunsIt [dot] com. And for more great advice and information, be sure to check out his other posts!

Albert is the proud father of Mommy Runs It’s owner Sharon Wilhelm. He has degrees in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida and is also certified as a Project Management Professional. He started running as a sophomore in high school (Oct 1964), and never stopped. In high school and college he was a middle of the pack runner. He hit his peak as a runner in the first 10 years after graduating college. Though never achieving a champion performance, he ran some decent times (5K – 16:58, 5 mi – 27:07, 6 mi – 33:00, 10K – 34:58, 13.1 mi – 1:36, 20 mi – 2:20:51, marathon – 3:37:48). Currently he runs primarily to maintain a level of physical fitness. He hopes that when he retires in a few years he will be able to increase his training and return to competitive running. His secret (not so secret any more) ambition is to be a high school track coach; not to produce champion runners, but to instill the love of running in these young people and pass on his experience.

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About sharon

Sharon is a mom, a marathon runner, and a licensed therapist. She owns Mommy Runs It, a fitness & lifestyle blog. She is a passionate advocate of the Galloway training method and knows firsthand that everyday moms can run marathons. Connect with Sharon on Google+.

Meet Sharon

Hi, I'm Sharon. I run. I blog. I chase my kids. I eat a lot of cookies. I lose stuff. My husband says I could break a bowling ball. It's nice to meet you. Read More…

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